Completing the Weekly Strike Target for merits (and bonus experience) does not require Going Rogue, but the Notice of the Well extra reward does.

Badges

Completing a strike target after the first of the week awards progress to a new set of Accomplishment Badges. Completing the first strike target per week does not count toward these badges. However, group makeup does not need to be different; eight characters can take on a strike target twice in a row, and all eight characters would get the reward from the first and the badge progress from the second. Completions are cumulative, so subsequent strike target completions do not need to be completed within the same week.